


Test

by LittleSweetCheeks



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Paternal Hotch, Paternal Tones, Referenced Drug Use, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 10:12:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18658351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: He didn't have a clue how to fix it...yet.





	Test

Hotch sat behind his desk and watched, taking in the way Reid nervously scratched at his arms. The letter the younger agent had handed over wasn’t all that surprising, they had all agreed to random drug testing when they got hired, but this…this wasn’t good.

“I don’t want to lose my job.”

The whispered words were so soft, Hotch had almost missed them. The sheet had a date and time the younger agent was instructed to report for testing. “You won’t.” Was his soft reply.

He could feel as Reid’s eyes snapped up to him in surprise, but he didn’t elaborate. If the test went as scheduled, there would be nothing he could do to stop the fall-out and…and he couldn’t stand the possibilities that lay on the other side. Placing the page gently on the desk, he folded his hands over it. “Leave this with me. I’ll...” He shook his head. “Just give me an hour. Okay?” He looked up finally, watching Reid nod, wiping tears away. “Grab Morgan and go to lunch.” Hotch waited, watching, until Reid realized it was a dismissal and left the office. Once he was alone, he picked up his phone and dialed an extension. “Hey, can you come up to my office? And bring any files that haven’t been assigned.”

==

“Please shut the door.” Hotch closed the file he was working on and shuffled everything to the side of his desk. “What cases and interviews are currently under review?”

“Uhh, we have a few that need a closer look, but I’m not sure any of them are at a stage where the team needs to fly out just yet. I think we can do just as much good from here.”

He nodded slowly. “Present them to me.” He listened as JJ reviewed each case, giving him the details she felt were pertinent. The last one was the most difficult, the one where the locals were having the hardest time narrowing down their suspects. “When Morgan and Reid return from lunch, please give them that file. While you wait, please speak with Garcia and get them flights out.”

“But, Hotch?” He could see the confusion in her eyes.

He couldn’t explain, not to her, not to anyone. “JJ… Please ask her to book them a flight out in the morning.” If Reid was on a case, the drug test would have to be rescheduled. She was standing to leave when he thought of something else. “JJ?”

She turned back to him.

“Thank you.”

With a curt nod, she left.

==

“I don’t understand.”

Hotch frowned. It was late, he’d done little else all day due to the distraction of his next move. “I need to know how much you are taking.”

Spencer’s face did a dance as emotions raced through him. “But…Why?”

“I can’t go into details, but…” He sighed heavily. “You will be getting a prescription for narcotic pain medicine related to your injury. The doctor will prescribe you just enough to justify the levels in your body. It will already be in your official record, so when the test comes back positive, they will not question it further. Reid.” He waited until the younger man looked up at him. “You will also be meeting with someone to begin the process of detox, but both doctors need to know exactly how much you are taking.”

Reid nodded and swallowed hard, answering the question with a sniffle.

“I am sending you and Morgan to be an asset to the local PD, but also to give you some time to think about what it is you want. The drug test will be postponed, I’ll submit the paperwork about you being needed in the field. When you come back, we’re going to talk.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t move to stand yet. “H-Hotch?”

He tipped his head in question.

“Why? Why are you doing this for me?”

He swallowed; it was a tough answer to put into words. He felt guilty for Spencer being in the position he was in to begin with, he felt responsible in general for all of them, but especially Reid. “Because it’s what I want to do.” He couldn’t imagine a world where Reid wasn’t’ in the BAU, wasn’t part of his family. “Not just because it’s my job. You belong here and… You shouldn’t be punished so severely for something like this. You deserve the chance to turn things around.”

Reid’s head was bobbing again, but this time he was standing as well. “I… Thank you.” He made it as far as the door before Hotch heard him speak again. “I won’t let you down.” He vanished into the darkness of the bullpen.

“I know you won’t.” Hotch replied to the darkness. “I’m just sorry I let you down.”


End file.
